Shoe holder



F. J. KESTER v SHOE HOLDER April 5, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. i9, 1946 INVENTOR.

April 5, i949. F, J, KESTER 2,466,442

SHOE HOLDER Filed Aug. 19, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FVG. 5.

IN V EN TOR.

Patented Apr. 5, 1949 curro sr'r @FCE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe holders, and particularly to a device upon which a shoe may be mounted for the purpose of cleaning and shining the shoe.

The work of cleaning and particularly of shining a shoe in the home or elsewhere has always been diflicult except under conditions where the shoe is Ibeing worn and is cleaned and shined by a person other than the wearer of the shoe. The operation of cleaning and shining a shoe worn upon the foot of the person performing the cleaning and shining operation has always been difficult and awkward by virtue of the different positions which the individual must assume in order to reach and work upon all of the parts and surfaces of the shoe. It is equally difcult to effectively clean and shine a shoe when the same is not being worn because of the shape of the shoe and lack of support thereof and the difficulty in holding the same in a proper stationary position while it is being rubbed or buffed. The use of a shoe last, such as a shoe tree inserted in the shoe is helpful in cleaning and shining the same, but even under such conditions difficulty is encountered in the operation due to the need to hold the shoe stationary while polishing or buffing.

Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to overcome the aforesaid difficulties by providing a device upon which a shoe may be mounted firmly and in a convenient position to facilitate polishing thereof.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is adapted to fit automatically upon shoes of any of the lwide Variety and range of sizes.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is easily operable and manipulable for the purpose of applying a shoe thereto and removing a shoe therefrom.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a pair of parts adapted to be inserted in the toe and heel portions of a shoe, wherein one of said parts is shiftable and spring pressed to extended shoe-gripping position and is so constructed that it assumes a locked position when a shoe -is mounted thereon, whereby the application of pressure against the shoe incident to bufling and polishing thereof is fully sustained without danger of releasing the device and the shoe when that pressure is applied in a spring-releasing direction.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a view of the device in side elevation with parts broken away and illustrated in section.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal detail sectional view of the device taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating the locked position of the device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device.

Fig. 5 is an inverted perspective View of a shoe last forming a part of the device.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral It designates a rigid tubular member or frame open at one end and having a transverse wall i2 closing its outer end. Tubular member l2 is provided with a longitudinal slot Hl at its bottom extending for the major portion of its length and terminating in inwardly spaced relation to its ends. A suitable bracket comprising a tubular socket it receiving the open or free end of the tube Si! is adapted to be mounted upon a wall or other vertical support i8. The

bracket is provided with flanges 2li bearing against the wall i8 and adapted to be secured thereto by screws, bolts or other securing means ZZ. A set screw 2li is mounted .in a lug or ear 26 formed in the tubular socket 22 and bears against the portion of the tube li! inserted in Said socket to lock the parts together. It will be understood that the tube l@ will have a snug fit within the socket iii to facilitate the rigid connection of the parts. Also, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, it will be observed that the end of the slot i4 adjacent the open end of the tube Hl preferably terminates adjacent the outer edge of the socket l5.

An arm 3B projects from the tube lil at the forward or outer end thereof and is preferably integrally formed therewith. This arm may be provided with suitable reinforcing webs, preferably extends in the same plane, and is longitudinally aligned with the slot Hl in the tube l0. The lower end of the arm Iii) mounts a toe last member 32 projecting forwardly and outwardly therefrom with its axis substantially parallel to the axis of the tube i9. This last may )e of hollow construction and is adapted to fit within a shoe at the toe portion of the shoe. The size of the portion tf will preferably be a size small enough to fit within a womans shoe or a childs shoe. The lower portion of the projection 3!) preferably includes a fiat plate-like portion 34 3 which projects rearwardly and upwardly from the rear end of the toe last 32.

The front wall l2 of the tube Ill is provided with a small opening 3G to slidably receive an elongated rod 38 which mounts a hand grip portion or knob lll at its outer end. A cylindrical member 42 is received slidably within the tube Il) with a slight clearance to insure freedom of sliding movement when axially aligned with the tube and suiicient to permit limited tilting of said member within the tube as illustrated in Fig. 3. The member d2 has a recess M- in its inner face which Iis adapted to receive the inner end of an elongated coil spring 45 which encircles the rod 38. The opposite ends of the spring 46 bear against the wall l2 and the member 42, thereby urging the rod and the member cl2 to their inward position. The member 2 has an opening It therein adapted to freely and slidably receive the rod 38 which in turn is provided with an enlarged head 5! bearing against the outer face of the member d2. It will be apparent that when the knob i8 is grasped and pulled, the member 62 will be urged forwardly within the tube lil against the action of the spring t6 and that release of the knob 13B will permit the spring ll to shift the member l2 rearwardly to the limit of the length of the rod 38 between the knob 4B and the head 50.

An elongated member 52 has a reduced dimension neck portion iii-i passing through the slot ld with clearance for free sliding movement therein. The neck 5d is rigidly7 secured to the member 42 at its inner end. The lower end portion of the member 52 is preferably formed of such a contour or configuration at 5B as to provide a bearing surface which will nt nicely within the heel portion of a shoe.

In the use of the device the parts will normally assume the position illustrated in Fig. 2 with the s member t2 and its depending heel-engaging portion 52 at their rearmost position permitted by the length of the rod 33 and the length of the Slot I4. This position of the parts will provide a spacing from the tip of the toe last 32 to the part 5G of the member 52 greater than the length of a shoe of largest size. When a shoe is to be inserted on the device, the knob 4D is grasped and pulled to advance the member 52 in the direction of the toe last 32 sufficiently to permit a i shoe to be fitted over the toe last and the member `52 to be inserted in the heel portion of the shoe. Thereupon knob fl@ is released and the spring 4B urges the member 52 rearwardly, thereby exerting a tension upon the shoe sufficient to hold it in desired position. The action which occurs is best illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein it will be seen that by virtue of the length of the arm 52 and the spacing of the heel-engaging portion 56 from the aXis of the tube l0, the restraining action of the shoe which opposes the extending action of the spring 5S applied axially at the tube and spaced from the shoe serves to tilt the members i2 and 52, whereby diametrically opposed portions at opposite ends of the member 62 engages the tube i@ and thus provides a lock or clamp which resists movement of the member 42 within the tube lil in either direction. Consequently, when stress is applied to the shoe while working thereon, as incident to the shining thereof at the heel portion, the stress will not tend to release or shift the heel member 52. It will be apparent in this connection that the use of a buihng cloth to shine the heel portion of a shoe, when the ends of a cloth are held in the hands 4 and the cloth is looped behind the heel, will tend to apply a forward stress to the shoe which may be greater than the opposing stress applied by the spring 46. Consequently, if the member 42 did not interlock with the tube lo in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, the operation of shining a shoe mounted upon the holder would be likely to release the shoe from the holder by overcoming the action of the spring, but the instant device positively prevents this. All other stresses applied dur-ing the work upon the shoe are taken by some one or more parts of the device in a manner which will be readily apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1. Consequently, the shoe is held firmly by the device in a tensioned or stretched position which will resist all stresses applied thereto and which will restrain the shoe from movement. This facilitates the quick and easy performance of the work, such as the shining operation, and overcomes all of the difficulties which have been mentioned hereinabove. The shoe can be released from the device quickly and easily by simply grasping the knob Lio to pull upon the member 42 to the required extent. It will be observed that,

s since the pull is applied axially of the member 42 by the rod 38, it is effective to overcome and release the tilt lock illustrated in Fig. 3.

One further feature of the device which may be mentioned is that the free sliding movement of the rod 3S in the opening 35 of tube wall I2 and in the opening i8 of member 42 permits the rod 38 to be retracted fully to the position shown in Figs, 1 and 2 during the operation of shining or otherwise working upon the shoe, even when the member 52 is positioned at an intermediate of forward position within the slot I4.

In View of the substantial difference in the size of mens shoes as compared to womens and childrens shoes, it is desirable to provide a second toe last portion of larger size than the integral toe last 32 to rmly support a mans shoe on the device. Such a last is illustrated in Fig. 5 in inverted perspective view. This last 60 has a recessed bottom face of such a shape and conto-ur as to nt snugly over the last 32. The last Ell is characterized by a reduced width rear portion 62 narrower than the widest portion of the last 32, whereby the last Gil is prevented from sliding forwardly upon the last 32 when positioned thereon. The last SQ is characterized by a rear wall 54 provided with a central Slot 66 of a width to fit snugly and slidably around the plate portion 34 rearwardly of the last. The central upper rear portion of the last is provided with a communicating slot 68 to accommodate such nt. It will be observed that by reason of the location and shape of the slots 65 and 68, the secondary last is supported upon the primary last 32 in such a manner that lateral tilting or rocking thereof is prevented. Consequently, since forward sliding movement is prevented by the restriction s2, and lateral rocking or tilting is prevented by the slots GE and 68, and further since the last 63 applies tension to the shoe in a longitudinal direction in use, the secondary last, though removable from the member 32, nevertheless serves eiectively to position a shoe mounted thereon and prevent undesirable play or movement of the tensioned shoe on the device.

While the construction of the device herein described and illustrated is preferred, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of thel invention.

I claim:

1. A shoe holder comprising a longitudinally slotted tubular member adapted to be secured to a support, a toe piece carried by said member at the outer end thereof, a heel member having a portion shiftable in said slot, a cylindrical member slidable in said tubular member and carrying said heel member, and resilient means in said tubular member urging said, cylindrical member toward the inner end of said tubular member.

2. A shoe holder comprising an elongated frame, a toe member carried by and projecting from said frame, a heel member carried by said frame and. cooperating with said toe member to mount a shoe, one of said members being xed on said frame, spring pressed shiftable means projecting laterally from said frame to mount the other member and having a loose sliding fit on said frame accommodating limited tilting thereof by said spring means when at an intermediate shoe-holding position whereby said means is locked against release by pressure applied to the Shoe in shoe-releasing direction.

3. A shoe holder comprising an elongated frame, a toe member carried by and projecting from said frame, a heel member carried by said frame and cooperating with said toe member to mount a shoe, one of said members being fixed on said frame, spring pressed shiftable means projecting laterally from said frame to mount the other member and having a loose sliding t on said frame accommodating limited tilting thereof bysaid spring pressure when at an intermediate shoe-holding position whereby said means is locked against release by pressure applied to the shoe in shoe-releasing direction, and means for releasing said shiftable means from locked position.

4. A shoe holder comprising an elongated tubular frame having a longitudinal slot, a toe member fixedly carried by said frame at one end thereof in off-set relation thereto, a unit shiftable longitudinally of said frame and.v including an inner member slidable in said frame and an elongated member projecting through said slot 6 and adapted to t in the heel of a shoe. and spring means in said frame pressing said inner member rearwardly.

5. A shoe holder comprising an elongated tubular frame having a longitudinal slot, a toe member Xedly carried by said frame at one end thereof in oil-set relation thereto, a unit shiftable longitudinally of said frame and including an inner member slidable in said frame and an elongated member projecting through said slot and adapted to t in the heel of a shoe, spring means in said frame pressing said inner member rearwardly, and a spring retracting member.

6. A shoe holder comprising an elongated tubular frame having a longitudinal slot, a toe member xedly carried by said frame at one end thereof in olf-set relation thereto, a unit shiftable longitudinally of said frame and including an inner member slidable in said frame and an elongated member projecting through said slot and adapted to fit in the heel of a shoe, spring means in said frame pressing said inner member rearwardly, and an elongated rod slidable longitudinally in said frame, said rod engaging said inner member at its inner end and projecting from said frame at its opposite end.

FREDERICK J. KESTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden Aug. 16, 1927 Germany June 20, 1908 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1939 France Dec. 19, 1936 Number Number 

